September 01, 2005
The Great Leap Forward
As soon as we crossed the border of Leijonakaupunki to Malaysia last Friday, we couldn't stop grinning.. What was it? The smell of freedom, fun, leisure in the air? How can one get so relaxed and happy in 5 minutes?!? It has been a real rats race for me last week. The semester is almost over and the students are freaking out about submitting their projects. Everybody was so desperately seaking my help that I've been staying till 9:30pm in school.. Its getting better now, but half of our students contracted eye conjuctivitus (some kind of red eye viral disease), as they were not sleeping, using the same computers and rubbing their eyes.. :) I'm washing my hands often these days...
Anyway, last weekend was amazing, as we woke up to the birds singing, not the machines drilling in the construction site. Pulau Sibu is some 3-4hours away from Leijonakaupunki & is a pretty fantastic place to spend a weekend. We slept most of the time, but I managed to go diving on Sunday. I don't understand why we didn't dive since last Christmass, as its so beautiful down there, under water! Kaj had an ear infection again, so he couldn't come with me.. We stayed in a British owned resort that was flooded with British. As we came to the Sibu island together with 2 families all the way from Leijonakaupunki, we ended up being "friendly" to each other. The diffficult part was trying to avoid the British drinking system of buying rounds.. Such a different concept from Finnish parties where you write your name with a marker on a beer can once you put them into the fridge (and you bring only as many as you're planning to drink yourself, God forbid, not to share with anyone!). I don't get these British people - if you ever expect to get your money's worth, you'd be dead drunk half way through the round... Still it was very nice to feel that people notice, consider you and show a lot of courteousness - ice cream for everyone in the bus, not only the children or your family.. I regret to admit that I've turned quite a bit kiasu (me first, you after) myself...
Besides nice things, there are also a lot of changes happening at work (en muista kerroinko mina etta meidan paras pomo oli heittety pois.. Nepamenu ar rasiau, kad musu geriausias bosas buvo ismestas..). My well seasoned colleague called these changes the Great Leap Forward.
Go on, read what happened afterwards... Kaikki nama muutokset tekivat mun paatoksen irtisanoa tammikuusa ja lahtea Leijonakaupungista aika helpon.. Ensi vuona aloitetaan "blokki-opetus". Se tarkoita etta kaikki luennot ja projektit puristetaan 
4 viikon ajalle. Ja niin 4 viikoisia 4 blokkia semesterissa. Siis joka paiva vaan 3Dopetusta ja sitten 4 viikon paasta joka paiva vaan piirtamista ja niin pois pain.. Ala kysy miksi ja mita hoytya tasta... Ja mita tapahtuu jos opiskelija tai opettaja (!) sairastuu.. Tai mita tapahtuu opiskelijoiden projekteille? Ja onko taa systemi perustettu jonkun pedagogikaan... Kaikki jotka kysyivat on jo poissa koulusta.. Kaikki hyvat paatevat ja alykat ihmiset on jo heitetty pois... "Shut up and follow" - siita meista odotetaan..
Visi nauji pokyciai darbe man labai padejo apsispresti ir iseiti is darbo sausio menesi. Kitais metais pradesime taip vadinamas "studijas blokais".. Visos paskaitos ir projektai bus sugrusti i 4 savaiciu 4 blokus per semestra. Taigi 4ias savaites studentai kasdien mokysis pvz vien tik 3D, kitas 4ias savaites, tik paisys, etc.. Neklauskite, kodel ta reikia daryti ir kokia is to nauda.. Ir kas nutiks, jei studentas susirgs pvz savaite, o jeigu destytojas susirgs?!? Ir ar sita sistema pagrista kokia nors pedagogika. Visi, kurie klause, jau isspirti is musu mokyklos.. Visi patyre, protingi jau ismesti. "Uzsikimsk ir sek is paskos", sito jie is musu laukia..
Today I met our new boss, her handshake was firm. We had a farewell party for Salim, our best manager, last Tuesday... Lisaa lahtiaisia tulossa... Maaliskuussa.. :) Bus ir daugiau atsisveikinimo vakareliu... Kovo menesi... :)
Posted by gkligyte at September 1, 2005 09:56 PM